“It was like punk rock fantasy,” said Rich Egan, co-owner of Vagrant Records.

“Another State of Mind,” a punk-rock documentary with a segment about Dischord Records and Ian McKaye of Minor Threat and Fugazi, inspired the 15-year-old punk from Southern California in 1984 to eventually pool his waiter tips to start a label on which he could release music.

Egan obtained a business license in 1990, but the true beginning is 1994, when Vagrant “got their shit together,” he said.

A few compilations and 7 inches later, the label signed its first band, Boxer, out of Boston.

Boxer released its Vagrant debut in 1998, then broke up in 1999. Vagrant signed No Motiv. The “Vagrant Records sound” was formulated by Boxer and No Motiv, and set the tone for the bands who followed.

Koufax, The Get Up Kids and The Anniversary followed shortly afterward. Then came Alkaline Trio, Saves The Day and Dashboard Confessional.

Vagrant Records houses more than 15 bands, all because Egan was inspired by a small punk-rock label with a lot of heart.

“As a 15-year-old kid I just thought that was the coolest thing I had ever seen,” Egan said. “That’s what told me that I want to do this for the rest of my life.”

In the seven years of recorded history, Vagrant has never had a band leave; its roster and potential keep growing.

“When we signed to Vagrant, it was a two-room office on the second floor of a building, and the view from the window was an alley,” said Adrianne Pope, keyboardist and vocalist for The Anniversary in a earlier interview with the Daily. “It’s definitely grown into a hip label.”

An Indie Mentality

“Part of being an indie label is to get good bands and to keep good bands,” said Shar Macatangay, general manager of Iowa State’s radio station KURE 88.5. “There’s something about [Vagrant’s] business practices in that they’re getting good bands, they’re keeping them and they’re getting more.”

Despite the amount of attention they are getting, none of the bands appear to be leaving any time soon. Instead, the close-knit bands are forming a family, with Vagrant providing the home for their musical ventures.

“All the bands on [Vagrant Records] are really cool and we get along with everyone,” Pope said. “It’s a great label to be on. Everyone is friends.”

Even a promise of more money, power and fame hasn’t been able to lure bands away.

“Every single one of our bands has had major label offers, and then come to Vagrant,” Egan said. “Which, to me, says not only are bands getting smarter, but they also realize they can make a living and have a much longer career on an independent label that’s run like a business and not like a hobby.”

The business plan doesn’t seem to be a secret. Egan said the bands and label have a mutual trust and hopes that is why they stay. Vagrant offers its bands the good aspects of a major label without the hassles of an indie.

“We pay our bands well,” Egan said. “We make sure they are taken care of, their records are in stores and that they get the promotion they deserve without the bullshit that comes with being on a major label.”

Nothing is perfect in the competetive music business.

In early 2000, Elias had to special order Vagrant albums to get them in the store before normal shipments began arriving. Sam Goody sends products to its stores based on what it thinks the customer base will buy.

“Without the orders, I’m not sure they would have noticed the interest,” explained Elias, concerned that product might not be accessible in some areas.

Important advertising space was absent when legal troubles shut down the Vagrant Web site for a few months. Fans wondered what was going on, flooding message boards with rumors about the shutdown. Egan said the label was sued by its distribution company. In the meantime, release dates for new albums were pushed back.

Pope said everything is worked out now, and Vagrant is still with the same distributor.

One of those “good parts” Vagrant tries to offer is artistic freedom. Egan’s job isn’t to dictate the band’s next album, but to support their endeavors.

“I don’t go to the studio when my bands make records,” he said. “These guys are artists. I’m just lucky enough to work with them.”

Grassroots Promotion

A successful fusion of passion and business might be the reason Vagrant has managed to reel in bands from other indie labels.

“The addition of bands like Alkaline Trio and Saves The Day has really helped Vagrant, because both bands already had a loyal fan base prior to starting with them,” said Amber Elias, assistant manager of Sam Goody at North Grand Mall in Ames.

Vagrant doesn’t seem to need music videos on MTV and massive top-40 radio airplay. Saves The Day’s Vagrant debut, “Stay What You Are,” has sold more than 70,000 copies since its release this summer, showing both the label and onlookers the power of word of mouth.

“Whenever a new Vagrant album comes out we sell a lot right away,” Elias said. “When Saves The Day’s new album came out we only got five copies in for release day, and we had to call our product hotline to get more because we sold out of them right away.”

In-store promotion of Vagrant albums has been successful at attracting new fans who can be exposed to independent music they may not have otherwise known about. Sam Goody has seen some success with a Vagrant Records display which showcases bands on Vagrant, with Saves The Day on a listening station.

And with new albums from Hey Mercedes, The Get Up Kids, The Anniversary, and Hot Rod Circuit set for release within the next few months, Sam Goody expects an even bigger increase in Vagrant album sales.

A Unique Ethos

Vagrant seems to be growing along with the expanding interest in the indie music circuit, which has landed a few Vagrant bands slots in popular music outlets. Most recently, Dashboard has been in Rolling Stone and Spin, and is fresh off an appearance on the “Late Late Show” with Craig Kilborne.

College radio has also embraced Vagrant bands. Macatangay has witnessed the number of Vagrant spins amplify since she came to KURE in 1997. The Vagrant sound is popular right now, and that is what the college airwaves are echoing.

“A lot of people dig that stuff,” she said. “I think [the increase] is definitely reflective of the popularity of Vagrant.”

“Kids aren’t stupid and kids aren’t cheap,” Egan said. “They respond to the honesty that comes out in our bands’ music, as opposed to `I did it all for the nookie’ and whatever you want to call entertainers who are more concerned with their dance steps than they are what they’re singing about.”

The only group of people Vagrant is worried about reaching is that Egan said has “good taste in music.”

“We don’t try to narrow it down to demographics and say the 15-to 19-year-old audience has X amount of their parent’s money to buy X amount of product per month,” he said. “We just put out records we love and hope other people love them as well.”

Forty-five-year-old housewives told him Dashboard’s album “The Places You Have Come to Fear The Most” is their favorite release of the year. A 5-year-old kid sent him a letter explaining how Face to Face was his favorite band “on the planet.”

“[The music is] timeless and it’s ageless and it’s honest,” Egan said. “It’s not music that makes you run around in circles at the `Warped Tour’ and wave a wife beater over your head; it is music that you listen to and it moves you.”

In his car, Egan has a six disc changer. Usually, five out of the six discs are from Vagrant artists.

“I love the music I put out,” he said. “I relate to it.”

A Midwest Following

Since the Midwest is home to The Get Up Kids, The Anniversary, Hey Mercedes, Alkaline Trio and Reggie and the Full Effect, their music is easily diffused throughout the scene.

A lot of those bands pass through the area frequently, exposing their music to an ever-growing population. And with The Get Up Kids touring with Green Day and Weezer, the Midwest has supported its regional claim-to-fame by embracing the band and its counterparts.

In the past, the Maintenance Shop has seen Vagrant acts The Anniversary and Hot Rod Circuit. The Anniversary returned to a sold-out M-Shop a few weeks ago to play their synth-pop sensibilities, showing up last year’s crowd of 100, and confirming the rumor that Vagrant music is catching on.

Sunday, Alkaline Trio will debut at the M-Shop. The show sold out in just two days -unusually quick for the venue.

“[Vagrant concerts] bring in a lot of students,” said Squire Boone, student director of the M-Shop. “People obviously want to see them if they’re selling out the place.”

Normally, M-Shop shows don’t sell out until the week before or day of the show.

“I don’t even know how we got Alkaline Trio to come,” Boone said. “Just luck, I guess.”

Egan felt this same disbelief when the Trio stopped by his place for a visit. After years of being a huge fan of what he calls “an amazing band,” they came to him with a proposition.

The Trio said they wanted to sign with Vagrant, marking what Egan called “the happiest day of my professional career.”

Now, seven years after his record label got its start, 32-year-old Egan couldn’t be happier. He has a successful record label releasing albums he loves by his favorite bands. Looking back on the beginning, he never could have imagined he would be where he is today.

“If somebody were to have had me look into a crystal ball and say, `Hey, you’re still going to be doing this in 10 years and kids are going to buy records just because they are on Vagrant,’ I would have been moved to tears,” Egan said.

“Did I ever envision it to be like it is now? I didn’t envision it, but I hoped for it.”